The process of transferring an invalid person from a hospital bed to a wheelchair, to a commode, or to a toilet, or assisting such a person in such a transfer, often involves more than one person, is labor-intensive and can be costly. The task frequently requires considerable strength and is occasionally a source of injury to the person, nurse, or attendant. These problems often are the major factors that cause a person to be hospitalized or moved to a nursing home, rather than being cared for at home. They also increase the cost of caring for persons in hospitals and nursing homes.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a transfer system including a transfer module in combination with a suitably equipped bed and wheelchair, whereby a person can be easily, safely, and comfortably transferred between a bed and a wheelchair with no effort on the part of the person, and requiring only minimal physical strength or skill from an attendant.
Another object of the present invention is to comfortably lift and rotate a seated person so as to move him backwards onto a bed, and to transport him fully onto the bed with a moving sheet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide means for transferring the person between a bed and a commode.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide means for moving a person from a reclining position on a bed to a standing position on the floor.
It is still another object to provide modifications to standard beds and wheelchairs whereby the modified beds and wheelchairs and some types of unmodified commode-shower chairs can be employed for patient transfer, according to the present invention.
It is another object of this invention to provide a transfer sheet with fasteners for attaching bed sheets on which a patient may lie comfortably and which can be conveniently changed.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method of preventing or reducing the likelihood of decubitus ulcers in a bedridden patient.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It is to be understood that the term wheelchair as used in this present application includes commode.